Manacles
by thats-a-thing
Summary: "He said he loved me, but was that just a cover-up? Did he only say that to hide his fear?" A sudden realization leads the young queen of Arendelle to question how her father actually saw her.


Manacles

_A/N Ahhh. I forgot to put this in when I uploaded whoops. :'D_

_Disclaimer: Disney owns Frozen. _

* * *

Shadows descended upon her chamber, bathing it in darkness with the help of the night. Cerulean eyes penetrated the blackness, quickly adjusting to the lack of light. Thin fingers brushed at the platinum blonde locks that obscured their owner's vision. The woman fumbled her way to her desk, desperate to reach her chair to finally sit down. Sagging into the cushion, Elsa dropped her regal poise and closed her eyes. She always knew that ruling a kingdom would be difficult, but she didn't think that the stress would sap her energy so quickly. Exhaling deeply though her nose, the young queen resigned herself to the mountain of papers she had to read and sign.

Her pale hand reached for the lantern hanging on the wall to light it. A soft orange glow erupted in her room, dispelling the shadows. She pulled the first document down from the top of the pile and groaned. _This is going to be a long night._

Each stroke of her quill become slower and slower as time wore on, and the Queen signed paper after paper. She rubbed at her eyes tiredly, wanting nothing more than to climb into her bed and sleep for a month. She glanced back down at the document and let out a small sigh. She had finally gotten to writing all the apologies to the dignitaries who had attended her coronation for preventing their leave from Arendelle during the Great Freeze, which was only a few days ago. Elsa ran a hand through her blonde tresses and shot a fleeting look at the clock. It was already passed one in the morning. She decided to finish the letters later and get one last document that needed her approval out of the way. She reached for the stack of papers, tugging the sheet on top toward her.

Her eyes widened as she skimmed its contents. She had completely forgotten about having to repair the damage done to the kingdom from the harsh blizzard she created, especially the cells in the prison; they were in terrible condition after her powers destroyed them in her frantic escape. She remembered being down there, imprisoned in her own kingdom. Frost began to creep from her fingertips as she took a trip down memory lane. She recalled the fear that consumed her as she was overwhelmed by guilt. She never wanted to bring eternal winter upon her kingdom. She never wanted to hurt her sister. _She_ _never wanted to be a monster_. The manacles that confined her hands to prevent her from freezing anything failed to stifle her magic, causing her fear to grow. Thinking about it as she read the paper, something didn't seem to make sense. From what she remembered, Elsa didn't recall normal cells in dungeons to have cuffs that encased the entirety of the hand. They usually ensnared the wrists, and the wrists alone. An irking suspicion crept into her mind. A desire to put her uneasy mind at rest brought the Queen to her feet.

* * *

Her pace was brisk, her long, translucent light blue cloak swishing in her wake. She traversed through the empty hallways, stopping only once to glance fondly at her sister's door before continuing on her way. The Queen descended several flights of stairs to the prison, where a surprised guard inquired what she was doing. Elsa simply waved him off, wanting nothing more than to confirm her suspicions.

The dank atmosphere was heavy as the young queen made her way through the darkened corridors, the walls seemingly glowing with an eerie light. Torches lined the walls, lighting the passage in pools of orange. Her fingers traced the rusted metal of an empty cell's door before she pushed it open, the hinges creaking with every inch forward. She scanned the cuffs attached to the metal chains nailed in the ground. _Only the wrists,_ Elsa narrowed her pale eyes. _It's almost as though the cell I was in was specially made for me._

A thought came back to her, hitting her like a speeding train. She jerked back involuntarily, the gears in her mind whirring as horror ran rampant through her. _Did Father have it _made_ for me? Did he see me as a threat to detain if anything went out of control?_ Her hurried footsteps echoed against the stone beneath her feet, the sounds bouncing back into her ears, creating an empty, droning melody. A thin layer of ice was slowly coating the walls as she rushed through the corridor. She came to a jarring halt in front of the demolished cell she was held in. She walked in hesitantly and knelt down beside the frosted over shackles.

"Elsa?" A voice called out, causing the Queen to whip her head around, only to be met with the sight of her sister and her disheveled bed head. "What are you doing down here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Elsa stood up and walked over to her sister, who failed to stifle a yawn.

"I was hungry, so I decided to head down to the kitchen, but I noticed the trail of ice on the ground. I followed it," Anna explained, scratching the back of her head as she shook the lingering drowsiness away. Elsa blinked in slight surprise, not realizing how anxious she'd been on her way down.

"Elsa is something bothering you?" Anna asked, squinting as she looked her sister up and down. The young queen smiled lightly, hoping to prevent Anna from worrying about her.

"Not at all."

"You're lying."

"It's not important."

"It is if it made you come down here at this time," Anna pointed out. "Come on, Elsa, I thought the time of secrets between us was over." Elsa visibly flinched at the subtle hurt in her sister's voice. She turned her attention back to the cuffs resting on the floor and knelt beside them again, gesturing for her sister to do the same.

"I… You weren't in the kingdom at the time, but Hans brought me here after he and other soldiers barged into my ice palace," Elsa began, deciding to leave out the fact that she was almost impaled by the bolt of a crossbow and crushed by a chandelier. She motioned to the restraints on the ground, "These were supposed to keep my powers at bay." Anna stared at the metal entrapments for a few seconds before something dawned on her. Her bright turquoise eyes widened as she met her sister's icy gaze.

"Wait... None of the other cells have these kinds of cuffs, right? Does that mean that this was—" Anna cut off, noticing the pain on Elsa's face.

"That's the conclusion I came to," Elsa whispered, placing her hands in her lap. "Papa probably had this specially built in case my powers.. went out of control." She felt tears form in her eyes, but she fought them back. _He probably thought I was dangerous just like everyone else. He was most likely just helping me learn to control my powers out of pity, not love. He only needed me to be his heir. But even then, Anna could have inherited the thrown… Maybe he kept me to make sure my powers didn't destroy the kingdom, to keep me in check. My own father was afraid of me. Maybe I am just a danger to everyone. A monster._ Her throat began to burn as her vision blurred. She kept her gaze on her hands.

Anna shook her head violently and looked at her sister's dejected form. She already guessed what Elsa was thinking and was determined to tell her otherwise. She placed one hand on her sister's cold shoulder and the other under her chin, lifting her head so they were looking each other in the eye.

"Elsa, you are _not_ a monster. You aren't someone who needs to be caged. You aren't dangerous," Anna spoke with conviction, her eyes burning. Elsa looked at her helplessly.

"Then why? Why else would this be here?" Her voice was a broken whisper. "There wouldn't be any other purpose for it." Anna tried to formulate words to come up with a reassuring response, but she failed, so she simply wrapped her arms around her sister's trembling body and held tight.

"He loved you; our parents loved you. Remember that Elsa. Sure, they made plenty or mistakes—this one included, I guess—but they cared about you. Papa would never have locked you up, and if he saw you now, I'm sure he'd be proud," the princess murmured, running her hands through her sister's hair in a comforting fashion. Anna felt a wetness on her shoulder and glanced down to see Elsa shedding silent tears, causing the former to tighten the embrace. "Think about it, if he wanted you imprisoned, wouldn't he have confined you in a cell the moment you struck me in the head?" The crying ceased, and Anna took her sister's silence as her being unable to come up with another reason to doubt their father's love toward her.

The two held each other for a while, comforted by each other's presence. Elsa finally lifted her head and met Anna's warm gaze, leaving her with a small smile. She pulled her sister to her feet and lead the way back to their rooms. While the young queen thawed the ice she left in the hallways, the princess continued to yawn every few minutes.

"I'm sorry for keeping you awake," Elsa apologized when they reached Anna's door.

"It's fine, Elsie," Anna smiled tiredly. "I'm always here if you need me."

"As I am for you," the Queen responded warmly before adding, "Thank you… for everything." With one more brief hug, the two entered their respective rooms.

Elsa sighed and leaned against her door once it shut. The ice-covered manacles flashed before her, and she shook her head roughly, trying to rid of the image. _I'll make you proud, Papa. I'll prove to you that I can control it. I'll be the Queen you always wanted me to be. _


End file.
